Several neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by malfunctioning of autophagy, and this is reflected by the lower presence of specific markers for autophagy (AGT5 protein) and mitophagy (parkin) in the plasma from patients with several types of dementia or mild cognitive impairment, reflecting a significant down-regulation of autophagy and mitophagy pathways in these groups of patients [39]. The gene discussed is PRKN; the disease is neurodegenerative disease.